Chapter 171. Taking Selena Away, and the Price
The moment William stepped through the gates of the Quiet Reflection Palace, a burst of hurried footsteps came from outside. The guards had likely heard the commotion and rushed over.
But he did not look back. He went straight toward the inner chamber.
What he saw inside made his eyes darken.
Seven or eight middle-aged maids stood scattered around the room. They looked like attendants, but they were clearly there to keep watch, and every single one of them had a steady aura. All of them were at Gold rank.
Selena was leaning against the edge of the bed in a thoroughly humiliating state. Her formal dress was badly wrinkled, and it was obvious she had not rested well.
Hearing the footsteps, Selena jolted upright and looked toward the doorway with wary eyes.
The instant she saw that it was William, her tense shoulders collapsed. All the grievance and fear she had been holding back turned into tears without warning, spilling down her cheeks.
“William...” she said in a choked voice, fragile in a way that was hard to put into words.
The Head Maid stepped forward, about to scold her, but William shot her a freezing glance.
Almost at the same moment, Aganzo’s Sword Aura tore through the air and sent the Head Maid flying with perfect precision.
Bang...
She slammed heavily into the wall, then slid to the floor with a muffled groan, unable to get back up for a long moment.
The other maids went pale with fright. Their hands trembled as they clutched their skirts, and none of them dared make another move.
William walked to Selena’s side, bent down, and gently brushed the tears from her cheeks. His voice was softer than it had ever been before.
“Come on. We’re going home.”
Selena stared at him blankly. Her eyes reddened even more, but she nodded hard and rose to her feet with the support of his hand.
All the long-held oppression and terror seemed to vanish in that instant, leaving behind only the relief of having regained something once lost.
William drew her behind him protectively and turned to leave. Aganzo and the other two Legendary Knights followed close behind.
The maids could only watch them go. Not one of them dared stop them.
Outside, in the palace square, four more heavily armored Legendary Knights had appeared. They had just arrived from elsewhere in the royal palace.
William merely swept them with a calm glance, then looked around the crowd, but Feir IV was nowhere to be seen.
In that instant, he understood.
Feir IV had chosen to tacitly allow it.
“Let’s go.”
William’s tone was calm as he shielded Selena and walked straight toward the palace gates.
More than a dozen Legendary Knights stood expressionless in the square, yet none of them moved to stop him.
They were all far too shrewd. The fact that Feir IV still had not shown himself was an attitude in itself.
As they were about to leave the square, Third Prince Frey’s face flushed red. He took an involuntary step forward, as though he wanted to say something to stop them.
But the moment his eyes met William’s cold gaze, the words stuck in his throat.
There was no anger in those eyes, only a nearly indifferent scrutiny, as though he were looking at some pathetic clown.
Frey hesitated for several seconds. In the end, he withdrew awkwardly to the side, the veins on his clenched fist standing out.
Seeing this, the Palace Knights surrounding the square all let out a collective breath of relief and retreated like a receding tide, opening a wide path.
They had been trapped in the middle the entire time, already as jumpy as startled birds. Now, at last, they no longer had to put up a meaningless resistance.
Just then, an Attendant came hurrying over from outside the palace, a parchment scroll in his hand. Looking at the tense standoff, he forced himself to unroll it and read aloud.
“Selena’s maternal clan, the Naye Family, attempted to harm royal offspring. The evidence is conclusive. The entire clan is sentenced to death, and all property is to be confiscated.”
“In consideration of the fact that Duke Naye and the First Prince’s Wife have confessed their crimes and submitted without resistance, Selena’s life is hereby spared. From this day forward, she is expelled from the royal family and shall never again set foot in the Kadiya Royal Capital.”
When the decree had been read out, Selena looked at the man in disbelief.
“What did Feir IV promise me back then? Why didn’t you keep your word? Why?”
Third Prince Frey looked at Selena and gave a disdainful laugh. This woman really was something. From the moment she openly murdered her own younger sister, she had already fallen into the abyss.
His royal father’s promise? It had only been bait to keep her under control. A woman who dared openly slaughter her own kin and brazenly trample the rules had no right to expect mercy from the royal family.
If not for the child in her womb, she would never have been confined to the Quiet Reflection Palace. She would have been executed on the spot.
After one last glance at Selena, Third Prince Frey left with the Palace Knights.
William looked at Selena, who was still dazed. The color had yet to return to her face, and her eyes were as hollow as dust-covered glass.
Only when the carriage jolted after rolling over a raised stone did she suddenly come back to herself, though she still said nothing.
She merely turned her face toward the window and stared blankly at the scenery racing by.
William did not press her any further. He only had a maid bring over some warm thick soup and said softly, “At least eat a little.”
Selena shook her head and did not take it.
The convoy slowly left the Kadiya Royal Capital and joined up with the Kroll honor guard and Knight Order waiting outside the city.
Banners snapped in the wind, armor gleamed, and the carriage was protected in their midst as they set out toward the Kroll Kingdom.
Throughout the journey, Selena’s condition never improved.
She ate very little and often did not say a single word for an entire day.
Either she stared blankly out the window, or she curled up in the corner of the carriage with her eyes closed, pretending to sleep, her brows always carrying an unshakable gloom.
William knew what the knot in her heart was. The destruction of the Naye Family was like a dull blade, carving again and again at the last of her lingering attachments. There was no rushing it. She could only digest it slowly on her own.
The trip itself, however, went exceptionally smoothly.
When Kadiya’s border troops saw the Kroll banners, they let them pass without even asking unnecessary questions. Clearly, Feir IV had long since tacitly approved their departure.
More than ten days later, the convoy reached the border of the Kroll Kingdom. On the towering walls, Kroll’s emblem shone brilliantly under the sun. The knights guarding the city recognized the familiar procession at once, immediately opened the gates, and bowed in salute.
“Your Highness, we’re home.”
Aganzo reined in his horse and spoke toward the carriage.
William lifted the curtain and looked at that familiar land, feeling the tension in his heart ease slightly.
He turned to Selena. She was also looking out the window. The outline of the city walls was reflected in her eyes, but there was no real ripple in them.
“We’re here,” William said softly.
Selena nodded slowly. Her voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping over stone.
“Mhm.”
The carriage passed through the gates. When the people lining the streets saw the Crown Prince’s procession, they all stopped and bowed. The clamor of the city drifted in through the carriage window, carrying with it the vivid warmth of everyday life.
After resting for one day, the convoy did not linger. They continued toward the Kroll Royal Capital and soon left the Northern Frontier, arriving at Dragonfang Fortress.
The long stretch of travel had left even the ceremonial escort exhausted. William had Tos pass down the order for the entire force to rest at the fortress for a day, and after receiving the command, Tos swiftly went to arrange the defenses.
As night deepened, candlelight flickered through the fortress barracks, its jumping glow illuminating William’s profile.
He looked at Selena, who was curled up by the edge of the bed. Her back was turned to him, and her shoulders trembled faintly. She was clearly still unable to emerge from her grief, and he could not help sighing inwardly.
Just then, Selena suddenly turned around, her voice thick with a heavy nasal tone.
“William, tell me... if I hadn’t been so desperate for quick success, if I hadn’t clung so stubbornly to things that were never mine, would my maternal clan... would my mother... still be alive?”